[MeechMunchie]

I played The Room. It's a really interesting and novel puzzle game based entirely around the careful inspection/bemused tinkering of 3D models of puzzle boxes.

The detail is lavishly intricate, everything clicks and slides with a pleasing clockwork quality, and it's almost disappointing when something overtly magical happens because I rapidly became very invested in the idea of a fully physical video game; something that could very easily be produced and played in reality (for several hundred times the price). It has the kind of engrossing quality and sense of polish that only a game of such minute scale can deliver (the entire game occupies ten square feet of space, tops). It's also short enough to breeze through in an evening if you're of the logical persuasion.

Speaking of which... the ending sucks. It amounts to "I GUESS OUR STORY IS ONLY JUST BEGINNING; NOW BUY OUR OTHER GAMES". It's the first episode of three; the PC ports of latter two were cancelled due to poor sales. I understand it's a rough world for indie studios, and I don't begrudge them for pulling the plug, but outright trimming the ": Part 1" off the title to hide the unfinished nature while leaving the segue to Part II intact is a bit of a con.

Still, for a few hours I got to turn dusty wooden knicknacks over in my hands while quietly murmuring to myself and fiddling with my eyeglass. Turned out all I really wanted from games was to roleplay an antiquarian. Who knew.

No, Tommy Wiseau isn't in it.

I also played Supreme Commander, which I'm pretty sure I suck at, and StarCraft 1, which I'm actually OK at now.